How long does it usually take for the police to catch someone after a hit and run?
For the past 10 years, statistics have shown that the USA on average experiences between 682,000 -737,100 hit-and-run car accidents yearly. In the past 10 years, the year 2015 saw the highest number of reported cases of hit and run.
The most aspect of any hit and run auto accident is that, one of the drivers involved in the crash usually leaves the accident scene without sharing his contact information.
Leaving the scene of an accident puts the lives of other people at risk of dying from serious injuries, and also makes it hard for the hit-and-run victim to get the compensation he/she deserves.
Based on the above few mentioned outcomes of any hit and run, a driver that commits a hit and run is liable to heavy punishments and a couple of hit and run penalties imposed by different states.
From my own research and what is mentioned by experienced police officers I was able to ask, it usually takes between 2 to 4 weeks for the police to catch you if you committed a hit and run.
But of course, it still depends on many factors I will try to explain in the article. Wanna know more? alright, let’s dive in and see examples of such scenarios as told by expert policemen and lawyers.
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Definition and Consequences of a Hit and Run Accident
what is a hit and run crime?
If you read the above sections very well, then the definition of a hit-and-run should already be clear to you by now, right?
But simply put, a hit and run is an offense a driver commits if he/she is involved in an auto accident and illegally leaves the scene of an accident.
The driver illegally leaves the scene of an accident if he/she is involved in the crash but:
- Left without sharing personal information with the other driver.
- Fails to report the auto accident to the authorities/police
- Fails to offer help if there are injuries or fatalities.
what is a hit and run charge?
Traffic laws vary from state to state, and for those reading this article outside the USA, laws also vary from country to country. But what I am sure of is that, you will face a couple of hit-and-run penalties irrespective of where you live as I explain below.
1. Jailtime or imprisonment. In the USA, the driver that illegally leaves the accident scene faces jail time or imprisonment depending on the circumstances of the crime committed.
“Expect to be jailed or imprisoned for a period of 2 to 15+ years if you committed a severe form of hit and run where there were serious injuries or deaths (hit and run felony)“, said Liam, a police officer.
“On the other hand, the driver that committed a less severe form of hit and run (hit and run misdemeanor) usually faces jail time of up to 24 months”, concluded Liam.
Having that said, I have seen and heard cases where the hit and run got imprisoned for 15 years or more just because he chose to leave the scene of an accident in which people lost lives.
2. Fines. All hit-and-run crimes come with hefty fines. From my own research, the fines for hit and run range between a few bucks to $20,000, depending on the gravity of the circumstances of the crime and the state you come from.
For example. This is a story as told by James. “I committed a hit and run in the year 2000 but thank heavens police said it was a minor case ie hit and run misdemeanor“, said James.
“I was asked to pay $700 as my fine, and my state suspended my driver’s license for 60 days”, concluded James.
According to Michael, who specializes in personal injury law, “James could have paid up to $20,000 had he committed a serious form of hit-and-run crime”.
3. Suspension or revocation of driver’s license. Depending on where you live and the circumstances of the hit and run crime committed, your driver’s license could be suspended for up to a couple of years and or at worst revoked.
The Police Invverestigation Process for Hit and Run Accidents
It’s the duty of the police to investigate and convict any driver that causes a car accident or the driver that illegally leaves an accident scene. Below are general steps police follow to investigate hit-and-run accidents.
1. Initial car accident response. All drivers that are involved in an accident are mandated to report the crashes they were involved in. You must invite the police to the scene of the accident and assist in completing a car accident police report.
2. Collection of evidence. Once police are invited to the scene of an accident, police start gathering evidence concerning the accident.
Police will collect pieces of evidence like car crash debris, tire tracks, and witness statements. Depending on the severity of the accident, police will take photographs and various measurements at the scene.
3. Identification of the vehicle. Once the vehicle that was involved in a hit and run is identified, police will begin the process of identifying and looking for the hit and run driver.
4. Arrest or citation of the hit and run driver. Police will then swing in and arrest the hit-and-run driver or issued a citation, depending on the severity of the hit-and-run crime, and of course, depending on laws in your area of jurisdiction.
5. Follow-up investigations. Should police fail to locate and arrest the hit and run driver, police will continue hunting for the driver.
According to my own research, hit and run cases involving deaths or severe injuries are investigated forever. These cases remain open till police find the hit-and-run driver.
However, the worst news I have for you is that only 5-10% of hit and run drivers are caught and convicted of the crimes committed. Also, police may not take long or waste their limited resources on minor hit-and-run cases.
Factors That Affect How Long It Takes to Catch a Hit-and-Run Driver
I already gave you the bad news side of hit and run accidents, right? well, to re-echo, more than 90-95% of cases of hit-and-run crimes or drivers are never solved by police because of a lack of evidence since the hit-and-run driver fled the accident scene.
Simply put, the following are factors that affect how long it takes to catch a hit and run driver:
1. Useful witnesses. It may take a few hours to a few days to catch someone after a hit and run, but only if witnesses gave a clear account of the driver.
2. Quality of the surveillance footage. This determines how fast police will identify the car involved and then later hunt for the owner of the driver that was driving the same car.
3. Severity of the car accident. If the car crash was severe, it may generate more attention and resources from the police or any other law enforcement and this may accelerate the speed of investigations.
On the other hand, the police usually find it unworthy of spending their valuable time and resources investigating minor cases of hit and run unless there are clear leads, or unless there is sufficient evidence.
4. Cooperation from the public. “2 eyes are better than one!” If the public is willing to cooperate with police and assist in identifying the hit and run driver, it should not be long before someone is arrested after a hit-and-run crime.
5. Location and timing. If the accident took place in a heavily trafficked area or during a busy time, there is a higher likelihood that someone saw the car or the accident was captured by a nearby surveillance camera.
In that instance, it won’t be long before the hit and run driver is located and arrested unless the crime was minor or did not cause a significant impact on the victims.
What Happens When the Police Catch a Hit and Run Driver?
What happens when the police catch it and run the driver depends on the circumstances of the accident and the laws in the area where the accident took place.
Generally, the following happens when the police catch the hit-and-run driver.
1. Criminal charges. The charges or penalties for a hit and run driver include jail time, fines, community service, and or probation.
Of course, your punishment will depend on the severity of the hit and run accident and the laws in your areas of jurisdiction.
2. Civil liabilities. I do not know where you are reading this article from, but I do understand the laws in your location are related to mine.
A person or driver that negligently causes an accident is mandated to compensate the other driver who suffered injuries or any financial losses.
The accident victim is entitled to damages like medical bills, lost wages, emotional distress, pain and suffering, etc. The hit-and-run driver will be asked by the authorities to pay these damages and more others to the other party.
3. Revocation or suspension of your driver’s license. This will occur if in addition to committing a hit and run, you violated traffic laws and or you had other offenses.
4. Insurance consequences. leaving the scene of an accident could impact your insurance as well. Your insurance rates could be raised or at worst your policy could be canceled.
Prevention Tips to Avoid Hit-and-Run Accidents
Hit ad run is a serious crime. It has the most dangerous consequences for both the victim and the driver that illegally left the scene of the accident. The following are tips to avoid hit and run accidents.
1. Alaways stay at the scene of the accident. Wait till the police arrive and help in compiling the police car accident report. You may still be charged with a hit and run even if you did not cause the accident but left the accident scene.
2. Check for injuries. Always render help if there are injuries. You can assist by transporting the injured to the hospital or by calling 911.
3. Be aware of your surroundings. This will help you to drive responsibly and also will help you to identify someone if you are the victim of a hit-and-run accident.
4. Install a dashcam. These will help in solving liability issues if the person that caused the accident tries to deny it. Dash cams also help by capturing the license plate number of the hit-and-run car.
5. Report hit and run driver to the police. Many people choose to flee the accident scene just because they know they will never be caught. By reporting the offenders to the police, you will help in reducing unsolved hit and run cases.
Drivers will soon avoid leaving the scene of an accident illegally once they know they will highly likely be arrested and charged.
Conclusion.
How long does it usually take for the police to catch someone after a hit-and-run? The time it takes for police to catch hit and run drivers depends on various factors, but on average, it could take police somewhere between 2-6 weeks.
Drivers should stay at the scene and report suspicious behavior. This in the end makes the roads safer for everyone.
